THE CREATORS of Ireland’s first true crime podcast have revealed that they will create more episodes after new information came to light on the murder of Sophie Toscan du Plantier.
Sam Bungey and Jennifer Forde spent a number of years working on the first season of ‘West Cork’ with the support of Amazon and it’s audiobook platform Audible.
The series has grown in popularity since its release in February and was included in Time magazine’s 50 best podcasts in the world.
The podcast tells the story of the murder of Sophie Toscan du Plantier, a French film producer whose body was found outside her holiday home near Schull, County Cork on the morning of December 23, 1996.
The logo of the West Cork podcast. (Picture: Amazon)Local journalist Ian Bailey was arrested twice in relation to her murder but was never prosecuted.
He has since taken several cases against the state.
Over two decades on from the tragic murder, there have been no developments in the search for Sophie’s killer, and her family has been left without justice.
Speaking to Today FM’s ‘Dermot and Dave’ show this morning, Bungey and Forde confirmed that hundreds of people got in touch and new information was made available to them following the release of the first thirteen episodes.
Among them were locals in West Cork and retired detectives in America.
“If people hadn’t talked, there would have been no podcast,” Forde told the programme this morning.
“In many ways, this isn’t our story to tell, it’s the story of the people who lived it so it’s important that it should be, as far as possible, in their voices.
“Ultimately because there’s been no resolution, no peace, everybody is still just below the surface, desperate for something to happen that will bring this to justice.”
When asked if the new information brought forward had changed their opinions on what happened that night, they were tight-lipped, saying ‘we can’t really talk about it’.
“I think the only thing you really can say with any certainty is that based on what everyone knows at the moment it’s impossible to be sure.”
Bungey did say that ‘with the upcoming trial in France, it feels like things are moving with this case’, referring to Ian Bailey’s appeal against the French courts for charging him.
However, considering the making of the first series took three years, we could be waiting a while for any new content.
You can listen to the first 13 episodes here.
